Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Here are various reports from the recent firings on Monday of three NFL coaches...

New York Jets - Eric ManginiMy thoughts - it seemed like yesterday that Mangenius was having dinner with Tony Soprano...now he is out of work...that is the way it is in the big city...take a hike Mangenius...

Rich Cimini of The Daily News writes how Mangini's downfall began when Brett Favre joined the club... "On the surface, Eric Mangini's downfall began five weeks ago, when the Jets started a late-season meltdown with an ugly loss to the Broncos. In reality, it started much earlier, with the blockbuster trade for Brett Favre in August." ...

Steve Serby of The New York Post writes how Jets management is still in love with Brett Favre... "If Johnson and GM Mike Tannenbaum are really serious about staying with Favre and a right arm that needed an MRI yesterday, a scattershot right arm that will be 40 years old in October, then they aren't moving forward." ...

Cleveland Browns - Romeo CrennelMy thoughts - RAC, as he was known to his players, had to go...personally, Crennel seems like a nice guy who knows his football, but he lacks that certain something to be a successful head coach in the NFL...this was a good move...

Tony Grossi of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer breaks downs the firing of Romeo Crennel... "With Cowher no longer a viable candidate for head coach, Lerner prefers to have the executive position filled first, but will proceed, he said, to line up interviews with prospective head coach candidates." ...

Detroit Lions - Rod MarinelliMy thoughts - just like RAC, Marinelli seems like a good guy who was caught in a bad situation...the Lions had no choice but to fire him after going 0-16...

Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press writes that Lions ownership should have fired more than just Rod Marinelli... "This team, the Detroit Lions, needs a total overhaul, and that means everyone, everywhere, most especially the front office. Instead, on Monday, William Clay Ford Sr., the most inept owner in the NFL, did the easiest thing. He fired the coach. Wow. How tough is that? Your team went 0-16. What else were you going to do, give him a raise?" ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Those eager to put 2008 behind them will have to hold their good-byes for just a moment this New Year's Eve.

The world's official timekeepers have added a "leap second" to the last day of the year on Wednesday, to help match clocks to the Earth's slowing spin on its axis, which takes place at ever-changing rates affected by tides and other factors.

The U.S. Naval Observatory, keeper of the Pentagon's master clock, said it would add the extra second on Wednesday in coordination with the world's atomic clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC.

That corresponds to 6:59:59 p.m. EST (23:59:59 GMT), when an extra second will tick by -- the 24th to be added to UTC since 1972, when the practice began.

UTC is the time scale kept by highly precise atomic clocks around the world, accurate to about a billionth of a second per day, the Naval Observatory says. For those with a need for precision timing, it has replaced Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT.

The decision to add or remove a second is the responsibility of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, based on its monitoring of the Earth's rotation.

The goal is to make sure clocks vary from the Earth's rotational time by no more than 0.9 seconds before an adjustment. That keeps UTC in sync with the position of the sun above the Earth.

Mechanisms such as the Internet-based Network Time Protocol and the satellite-based Global Positioning System depend on precision timing.

The first leap second was introduced into UTC on June 30, 1972. The last was added on December 31, 2005.

They have been added at intervals ranging from six months to seven years, Daniel Gambis, head of the IERS Earth Orientation Center at the Observatoire de Paris, wrote in an explanatory piece this month (http://hpiers.obspm.fr/eop-pc/).

Among the reasons for Earth's slowing whirl on its axis are the braking action of tides, snow or the lack of it at the polar ice caps, solar wind, space dust and magnetic storms, according to the U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, another timekeeper.

By contrast, a leap day, February 29, occurs once every four years because a complete turn around the sun -- our year with all its seasons -- takes about 365 days and six hours.

In 1970, an international agreement established two time scales: one based on the Earth's rotation and another on highly accurate atomic clocks.

The U.S. Naval Observatory's master clock is based on a system that now includes 50 atomic clocks, 36 based on the element cesium and 14 known as hydrogen masers.

With the Earth's rotation gradually slowing, the periodic insertion of a leap second into the atomic time scale is needed to keep the two systems within a second of each other.

Monday, December 29, 2008

This article was taken from The New York Times - Monday, December 29, 2008...

The coaches and players with this season’s 0-16 Detroit Lions will always be associated with the worst season in N.F.L. history, but at least they can share in the blame. Terry Felton, a pitcher with the Minnesota Twins from 1979 to 1982, holds a dubious record all by himself.

Felton was 0-16 in his career. That is the most losses by a pitcher without a victory since 1900. In 1982, at age 24, he broke a record that had stood since 1914 when he lost his 14th straight decision, the most from the start of a career. Guy Morton was the previous record-holder with the Cleveland Indians.

Felton did retire all six batters he faced in his major league debut in 1979, and he saved three games in his career, but he finished with an earned run average of 5.53 in 55 games and was plagued by control issues.

In an interview with The New York Times after a loss in 1982 in which he made a throwing error, Felton said: “I messed up again. It’s not funny anymore. When I first heard about the record, it was funny and I didn’t really think I’d ever do it.

“I thought I’d get a win before now. It doesn’t happen to everybody. It only happened to two people.”

Steve Serby of the New York Post writes how Chad Pennington is ready for his showdown in Gotham... "How ironic that with two seasons and perhaps one head coach's job on the line, Pennington comes to Giants Stadium on Sunday sturdier and healthier than the NFL's indestructible Cal Ripken. How ironic that Favre will suddenly need more help from his new teammates than Pennington does from his new teammates." ...

Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald writes how the Dolphins must finish off their storybook season with a win on Sunday... "If the Dolphins don't complete this tale with a playoff invitation, then all the buildup was just that. It would be like one of those infuriating independent films with a sudden and incomplete ending." ...

Jeff Darlington of the Miami Herald writes that lost in the Pennington-Favre brouhaha, former Miami kicker Jay Feely now kicks for the Jets... "Veteran kicker Jay Feely, who was cut by the Dolphins during training camp in favor of undrafted rookie Dan Carpenter, would be the player lining up for the Jets in that situation. Carpenter would be the one kicking for the Dolphins." ...

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes about the parallels between the 1970 Dolphins and today's team... "And more importantly, the 1970 team, which laid the foundation for three Super Bowl appearances, suggests greater things might be in the offing for today's Dolphins." ...

Brian Costello of the New York Post encourages fans to cheer for Pennington if they want to see Mangenius fired... "That's right. Go to your closet Sunday morning, dig through the sweaters and dress shirts and find that old green jersey with the No. 10 peeling off, throw it on over your sweatshirt and when you get to the Meadowlands root like hell for Chad Pennington." ...

Thursday, December 25, 2008

When Dwyane Wade heard the plight of a South Florida woman whose nephew accidentally burned down her home - and ruined all the family's possessions - the Miami Heat star knew he had to do something.

So he helped the family move into a new home, just in time for Christmas.

Wade presented Dawn Smith with the ultimate Christmas gift on Wednesday - the keys to a her new house, along with some furnishings, clothing and gifts to make sure her family has a joyous holiday, something that didn't seem likely just a few weeks ago.

His Wade's World foundation will make some payments on the home, while Smith and her family get back on their feet.

"That's what I try to teach my kids," said Wade, whose foundation has hosted several charity events this holiday season, mostly for needy children. "It's not about what you're going to receive - it's what you can give to others from what you've received."

Smith couldn't hold back happy sobs when she saw the home for the first time.

"A big-time relief," Smith said, clearly overcome by emotion. "Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Oh, God, thank you so much."

The NBA's leading scorer this season had a simple message: "Hopefully, you'll like it."

Wade's other holiday events this year included a party for 350 children on Monday, and hosting 100 kids at Tuesday night's Heat game against the Golden State Warriors. He also donated $10,000 to each of three children's organizations, but said he was particularly touched by being able to assist the Smith family.

While the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is a long-standing and Christmas tradition, the mistletoe plant itself is anything but romantic.

A parasitic plant that grows on trees along the eastern coast of North America, mistletoe was believed to have been spread through bird droppings. In fact, the word "mistel" is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "dung" and "toe" means "twin". So mistletoe quite literally means "dung on a twig."

If that image doesn't make you want to pucker up, consider this: Mistletoe has also long been believed to carry magical powers. The Druids believed that mistletoe, which also grows on oak trees throughout Europe, represented the tree's soul and sexual prowess. The mistletoe would be gathered mid-summer and mid-winter and used to decorate one's home. During the Middle Ages, mistletoe branches were hung to protect homes from evil spirits. Northern Europeans believed that mistletoe could help ward off witches.

The very first people to believe in the magic of mistletoe were the ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks thought that mistletoe was imbued with the powered fertility, an antidote to poison, and also a powerful aphrodisiac.

In fact, during the festival of Saturnalia, the ancient Greeks would kiss under the mistletoe, which later became customary during marriage rites as well.

The tradition of kissing under the mistletoe on Christmas emerged in Europe during the Middle Ages. The original custom held that each time a man kissed a woman under a twig of mistletoe, he should remove one of the berries. Once all the berries were gone, no more kissing could take place under that twig.

2. Put the cookies on a decorative Christmas plate. Imagine the twinkle in Santa's eyes as he picks up the last cookie only to reveal his jolly face or a beautiful Christmas tree.

3. Leave at least ten cookies. Make sure that there will still be cookies for Santa after Mom and Dad have eaten a few themselves.

4. Leave a glass of milk or eggnog with the cookies. Keep the milk or eggnog in the refrigerator and have Mom and Dad put it out before they go to bed. Santa loves icy cold milk.

5. Leave the cookies in a place where Santa will see them. Place them on the fireplace hearth or near the Christmas tree. Leave a note to tell Santa where the cookies are if you have to hide them from the dog.

6. Leave a napkin for Santa to dab his mustache. Santa loves festive napkins, but a plain napkin will do as well.

7. Leave a note by the cookies. Let Santa know how thankful you are for his visit to your house. Sometimes Santa has been know to write notes back to good children.

Tips and Warning- Leave chocolate sandwich cookies if you have to resort to store bought. They are his favorite.- Leave carrots for the reindeer. Cookies give reindeer tummy aches.- Use plenty of sprinkles to decorate the cookies.

Monday, December 22, 2008

(I always wondered what was figgy pudding...in fact, over the holidays I planned on buying some figs and throwning them in the blender..but before I did that, I wanted to find out more about figgy pudding...this was taken from the website www.webgeek.com)

It's amazing what a brief mention in one Victorian-era Christmas carol can do for an obscure little dessert called figgy pudding. Every year, thousands of people around the world become curious about the figgy pudding mentioned in the secular English carol "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Apparently, the party-goers mentioned in the lyrics refuse to leave until they get some figgy pudding from their host. This must be some seriously good pudding.

In actuality, figgy pudding is more of a cake than a pudding. There have been recipes for figgy pudding since the 15th century, although its popularity as a Christmas dessert probably reached its peak during the late 19th century. Several factors have significantly hampered the wholesale expansion of the figgy pudding industry, including an interminably long cooking time, an exotic ingredients list and a cringe-inducing dependency on saturated fats for texture.

There are numerous recipes for figgy pudding, from a traditional steamed version similar to modern bread pudding to a pastry-covered blend of figs, dates, fruits and spices. Nearly all figgy pudding recipes call for three or four hours of steaming. This is accomplished by placing a metal bowl with the figgy pudding mixture into a larger bowl partially filled with boiling water. The indirect heat generated by the boiling water cooks the figgy pudding evenly and slowly. This is equivalent to using a bain marie water bath for individual ramekins filled with batter.

The most traditional figgy pudding recipe is very similar to a carrot cake base blended with a custard. Chopped figs are added for flavoring and texture, along with chopped dates or apples when available. The spices in a figgy pudding are similar to carrot or spice cake - cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg are commonly used. Heavy cream, eggs, sugar and milk help to create the custard. For additional flavoring, many traditional figgy pudding recipes also call for liqueurs such as cognac or rum. Non-alcoholic extracts can also be used.

Some figgy pudding recipes call for a loaf of fig-infused bread to be crumbled into the mixture, while others suggest standard breadcrumbs. As if this weren't enough, the most faithful recipes also call for the addition of an animal fat called suet. Suet is a form of fat found near an animal's kidneys. Pure butter and shortening can be substituted if suet is not available locally. All of these ingredients are mixed together in a metal bowl or pudding mold and placed in a larger pot for steaming over a fire.

Only three or four short hours later, those house-squatting carolers demanding their figgy pudding can finally be appeased. Steaming was a very popular cooking method before the days of regulated heating. Even if the source of the heat were inconsistent, the food itself would still cook fairly evenly. Even so, the unveiling of a figgy pudding was often a defining moment for the cook. The dessert would be either a solid success or a soggy mess. Charles Dickens hints at this figgy pudding moment-of-truth during the Cratchit's dinner in his novel, A Christmas Carol.

SummaryThese two teams met only 1 other time...in 2000, they faced off in the I-AA quarterfinals with Montana winning 37-17...Montana will be making its sixth appearance in the I-AA title game...Griz RB Chase Reynolds helped Montana upset #1 James Madison last Friday night...Reynolds rushed for 123 yards and 2 TDS...that was his 8th straight game over 100 yards rushing...blocking for Reynolds is I-AA First-Team All-American OL Colin Dow (photo) (6'5", 300)...

The Griz defense is led by senior DB Colt Anderson...Anderson was named this week to the I-AA First-Team All-American squad...

Richmond may be the team of destiny as they upset 3-time I-AA champs Appalachian State in the quarterfinals...the Spiders then crawled up to Northern Iowa and overcame a 20-7 4th quarter deficit to win 21-20...The defense is led by senior DEs Lawrence Sidbury and Sherman Logan...the Spiders rank sixth in the country in total defense...this season 11 opponents have failed to rush for more than 100 yards...CB Justin Rogers is one of the most versatile threats with 7 interceptions and 3 defensive TDs, a blocked punt, a fumble recoveryand a forced fumble...

Richmond's offense is anchored by 2 Second-Team All-American offensive lineman - Matthew McCracken and Tim Silver...both guys have helped RB Josh Vaughan (photo, below) rush for 1,722 yards and 19 TDS...QB Eric Ward has tossed 16 TDs and is also a threat to run with the ball as he has 8 TDs and 394 yards...

Chelsi Moy of the Missoulian writes how local print shops are getting the presses ready if Montana wins... "The moment the game clock runs out in the Football Championship Subdivision title game Friday night in Chattanooga, Tenn., Don Cowles will begin a feverish few days of work. Probably. Maybe. Most likely, Griz fans insist. Should the University of Montana prevail over the Richmond Spiders, the Bozeman Grizwear manufacturer will launch into several days of hair-pulling, all-night work and tight deadlines." ...

Bill Speltz of the Missoulian writes how the Montana fans will be in force in Chattanooga... "Griz backers have stormed Chattanooga in bus caravans, airport shuttle minivans and maroon-adorned motor homes. A fleet of four buses arrived at a hotel here Thursday afternoon and it was as if Ulysses S. Grant had called for reinforcements." ...

Paul Woody of the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes about the benefits of playing in the big game... "Playing in this game provides more intangible than tangible benefits. The game will be on national television, which is good for the Spiders. The results will be published across the country, which is good for Richmond coach Mike London." ...

Paul Woody makes his game prediction... "Missoula, Mont., and Richmond are about 2,400 miles apart and have little in common. Tonight, though, Missoula and Richmond will merge and become one. Sort of." ...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Sammy Baugh died on Wednesday at the age of 94 in Lubbock, Texas...some consider Baugh the greatest quarterback who ever played the game...Baugh starred for TCU and later went on to quarterback the Washington Redskins...

Frank Luksa, a former sports columnist for The Dallas Times Herald and Dallas Morning News, writes how Baugh was the last link to old-time football... "He belonged to a world that vanished. A faster, more complex and less personal world replaced the one he knew. It left him linked to a time so distant that his deeds appear carved on a cave wall alongside pictures of prehistoric bison." ...

Joe Holley and Bart Barnes of the Washington Post write how Sammy Baugh was the NFL's first true gunslinger... "More than a half-century later, sportswriter Dan Jenkins called him "the greatest quarterback who ever lived, college or pro." Jenkins, a Fort Worth native, saw Baugh play at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and as the Redskins quarterback." ...

Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News writes about Baugh... "He was such a good athlete that, in 1943, he led the NFL in passing, punting and interceptions. He also briefly played professional baseball, his first love." ...

Friday, December 12, 2008

I found this in the New York Daily News...what are these kids thinking when they do this?????....

BY NANCY DILLONDAILY NEWS WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF

Updated Thursday, December 11th 2008, 2:44 PM

LOS ANGELES - They serve fast food, but they're slow learners.

Four months after a Burger King employee lost his job for taking a bubble bath in a restaurant sink, three scantily clad teens were fired when they turned a basin at their northern California KFC into their personal hot tub.

They landed in hot water with the chicken chain's management when one of the bikini-clad dimwits made the same mistake as the Ohio Burger King employee - she posted photos of the dippy escapade on MySpace.

The photos included captions such as "haha KFC showers!" and "haha we turned on the jets," and were filed under a gallery called "KFC moments," according to the Record Searchlight newspaper in Redding, Calif.

The story broke before the unidentified girl could scrub public access to her profile. On her MySpace page, the girl listed herself as a 17-year-old worker at the Anderson KFC near Redding.

"I'm a KFC worker, they are my best friends and my family," she said on her site.

The three were suspended Tuesday - and have since been fired, said KFC spokesman Rick Maynard.

"KFC has zero tolerance for violations of our operating standards, and our franchisee has taken immediate action by terminating the employees who were involved," said Maynard.

An assistant manager told the Record Searchlight that no manager was on duty when the steamy photos were likely taken and that the trio closed the restaurant themselves.

Burger King bagged 25-year-old Timothy Tackett in August after a four-minute video of his birthday bath in the sink of a Xenia, Ohio, restaurant landed on MySpace and YouTube.

Tackett appeared to be naked in the sink.

Burger King promised to work with the health department to retrain staffers in proper sanitation procedures.

Remember back in the early 1990s when Old Milwaukee beer ran the Swedish Bikini Team commercials...it was so controversial that they were forced to pull the ads...honestly, these ads were tame compared to today's beer commercials...and actually, all the Bikini Team really did was drop by to serve some beer and do some exotic dance...pay attention to the dances they do...they seemed like harmless girls...

Well, here's a little ride down memory lane...enjoy these two clips...

Thursday, December 11, 2008

After the 2001 baseball season, the New York Yankees were craving for a power hitter after their paltry performance against Arizona in the World Series...the Yankees wanted the best hitter on the free agent market and that was first baseman Jason Giambi - the Yankees got him and signed him to a seven year deal...

After the 2008 baseball season, the Yankees were craving for much needed starting pitching after not making the post-season in over a dozen years...the Yankees wanted the best starting pitcher on the free agent market and that was C.C. Sabathia - the Yankees got him and signed him to a seven year deal...

As a Yankees fan, I did not like the signing of Giambi because he was a one deminesional power hitter who could not run nor field...the seven years are now over for Giambi as a Yankee and I could safely say New York made a mistake by signing him...

Seven years after the signing of Giambi, I once again believe the Yankees made a big mistake by signing Sabathia...don't get me wrong, Sabathia is a very good pitcher...but he has three big flaws that concern me:

1. He is a hot head on the mound - I watched Sabathia numerous times when he pitched for the Indians...after giving up a key hit or homer, Sabathia gets rattled on the mound...once he gets rattled, he overthrows by barrelling the ball in at 100 mph which leads to another homerun...batters can get into Sabathia's head...

2. He is fat - let's be blunt - Sabathia is a fat, out-of-shape young man who is only going to get more fat as he ages over the next seven years...this weight can and usually leads to health problems (aka, going on the disabled list)...

3. October - the sole purpose for playing on the Yankees is to win in October...and when you are the highest paid pitcher ever, you must come across with a W in October...over the last two post-seasons with the Indians and Brewers, Sabathia has failed miserably in the post-season...

This past post-season, the Brewers found themselves down 1-0 in the NLDS at Philadelphia with Sabathia on the mound...this was a must win game for Milwaukee...Sabathia tanked it...he went 3.2 innings and gave up a crucial walk to Phillies pitcher Brett Myers with two outs in the second inning...the pitcher!!!...clearly flustered, Sabathia walked the next batter Jimmy Rollins to load up the bases...Shane Victorino then parked a grand slam that ended any chance of the Brewers to advance...

Flip back one year earlier when Sabathia pitched for the Indians...he beat the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS, but it was a poor effort...he went 5 innings and gave up 4 hits, 6 walks, 2 homers, and 3 earned runs...

In the ALCS against Boston, Sabathia was completely unreliable...in Game 1, he went 4.1 innings and gave up 7 hits, 3 walks, and 8 earned runs as he took the loss...

With the Indians up 3-1 in the series and at home, Sabathia took the mound in Game 5...a win would send the Indians to the World Series...he was the team's #1 pitcher, the horse, the ace - this was supposed to be money in the bank...Sabathia went 6 innings and gave up 10 hits, 2 walks, 1 homer, and 4 earned runs...he lost again...

Those post-season performances alone would be why I would not have given Sabathia a seven year contract worth $160 million...he is not a big game pitcher...I see Sabathia being a player who has overbloated regular season stats who cannot perform on the biggest stage in October...the Yankees made a mistake...

Tuesday, December 09, 2008

Most college football fans are disgusted with the BCS and would rather see a playoff...realistically that is not going to happen because of money, the bowls, and college presidents...

So, since the BCS is going to stay, it would be nice if we had the 10 best teams play in the BCS instead of having an automatic bid if you are conference champion...for instance, this year, the Big East and ACC conference champs, Cincinnati and Virginia Tech, do not belong in these elite bowls...

On Saturday, ABC Sports Craig James was correct in saying that the top 10 ten BCS teams should make the bowls...even if it means that 3 teams from a conference may get in and some conferences may not have a conference champion who is worthy...he went on to say, that all the major confernces would still share in the money even if a conference does not get a representative in the BCS...this would set a standard instead of allowing teams with 3 or 4 losses to get into one of these primetime games...

If the BCS was done correctly, here should be the match-ups...BCS Title GameFlorida vs. Oklahoma

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Before there ever was 9/11, December 7, 1941 was the most horrific day in American history when Japan surprise attacked Pearl Harbor...the attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service late in the war) and damaged four more...also sank or damaged were three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer along with 188 aircraft...this attack caused personnel losses of 2,402 killed and 1,282 wounded...

Friday, December 05, 2008

VERO BEACH, Fla. (Dec. 4) - A Vero Beach man faces a domestic violence charge after authorities said he assaulted his girlfriend with a cheeseburger. An Indian River County Sheriff's Office arrest report said a 22-year-old man and his girlfriend got into an argument as they sat in a car in front of their home.

The report said the man would not let the woman out of the vehicle, so she threw his drink out of the car. In response, the man allegedly grabbed her arm and smashed the cheeseburger into her face. The pair got out of the car, and authorities say the man again took the McDonald's sandwich and put it on her face.

Remember back in August when many "experts" had the San Diego Chargers to possibly represent the AFC in the Super Bowl?...the same Chargers team who made it to the AFC Championship Game last year...

But what these "experts" forgot is that Norv Turner (photo, right) is the Chargers head coach...and after 12 games, San Diego has been one of the most underachieving teams in the league with a 4-8 record...

The Chargers had one of the most quality coaches in the league, but general manager A.J. Smith could not put his ego aside as he let Marty Schottenheimer (photo, below, left) after the 2006 season - a season where the Chargers went 14-2...

Just two years ago the Chargers were the best team in football under Schottenheimer...we all know San Diego lost their first round playoff game at home to New England that year...but how often do you see a head coach who just posted an .785 winning percentage get shown the door?...

Schottenheimer got treated unfairly by the Chargers...in the short term it looked like Smith made the right move after the Chargers got hot late last season and won two playoff games before succumbing to the Patriots in the AFC title game...

But in the long-term, Smith is getting exactly what he deserves under Turner - a team that is underachieving...this has been the trademark of many of Turner's previous teams when he was at Washington and Oakland...

Turner may be a nice man and a great offensive coordinator, but he lacks the pedigree to be a successful head football coach over a sustained period of time...he has been a head coach in the NFL for 11 years and Turner's overall record is 73-95-1....when he accepted the San Diego job, Turner had a mark of 58-82...

Smith (photo, right) had a good coach in Schottenheimer...in the two previous years before Schottenheimer, the Chargers were a paltry 6-26 under Mike Riley...in his five seasons as head coach at San Diego, Schottenheimer was 47-33 and had two division titles...when let go, the Chargers were on the brink of breaking through to the Super Bowl under Schottenheimer...

However, Smith's ego and bullheaded nature led him to get rid of a winning coach for a coach who is below average at best...that is why the Chargers are sitting at 4-8 and it couldn't happen to a better general manager...

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Most bloggers probably reported this already, but it is worth a repeat for those who missed it...a few weeks back Iowa played at Minnesota...for some, the real interest is what took place in the men's room when 38-year-old married woman (photo, right), mother of three kids, had sex with someone she didn't even know in the men's stall...to top it off, her unaware husband was sitting in the stands watching the game...read on...

by John Brewer of the Minneapolis Pioneer PressA couple of University of Iowa fans took a break from Saturday's game at the Metrodome against the University of Minnesota to have some illicit sex in a Dome restroom, police said.

The duo — a 38-year-old woman and a 26-year-old man from Carroll and Linden, Iowa, respectively — turned a handicapped toilet stall into their love nest about 8:30 p.m., late in the Hawkeyes' 55-0 trouncing of the Gophers.

A crowd of intoxicated fans gathered in the restroom to laugh and cheer the off-the-field action, until an Avalon Security guard tipped off University of Minnesota police to the ruckus.

Officers had to interrupt the intimate moment to cite the couple for indecent conduct, a misdemeanor.

University of Minnesota Police Chief Greg Hestness said similar citations at the Metrodome or on campus usually involve public urination.

He said it was the first time in his six years at the U that his force has interrupted a sex act during a Gophers game.

Hestness assumed the woman was embarrassed about being caught: She initially gave a false name to officers and had to be identified by her husband before she was released.

The man was attending the game with his girlfriend, according to police.

"It's a long ride back to Iowa," Hestness said.

In a follow-up article in the Des Moines Register, the woman explains how the incident ruined her life...by Stacie Hupp

A Carroll woman who was caught having sex in the men's room at an Iowa Hawkeye football game in Minneapolis last weekend says she’d had so much wine before kickoff that she doesn’t remember walking into the restroom, the man she had sex with in a stall, or when the police opened the door.

What Lois Feldman, 38, will remember is the humiliation afterward.

“It’s ruined my life,” she said through tears today. “Not just the incident but the press.”

Feldman, a married mother of three, has been the target of Internet jokes and prank telephone calls today. She was fired this morning from an assisted living center, where she had been an administrator.

Feldman said her husband, Kelly, has been supportive. She said he faults himself for not going with her when she left her seat to use the restroom before halftime.

“I don’t know what happened,” Lois Feldman said. “But I don’t deny that it did happen because obviously there are police reports.”

A security guard who said he saw the two having sex through a gap in a men’s restroom stall flagged down campus police, according to the police report.

By the time an officer arrived, about a dozen people were cheering and laughing in the bathroom while Feldman and Walsh were inside the stall, the report said.

The officer pushed his way through the crowd, opened the door and separated Feldman and Walsh, the report said.

Police described both Feldman and Walsh as upset, drunk and uncooperative.

Chuck Miner, deputy chief of the University of Minnesota police department, said officers tracked down Feldman’s husband.

“I’m not sure how they made contact with her husband, but they needed her husband to help identify her” because she’d given the wrong middle name.

Miner said police didn’t measure the blood-alcohol level of Feldman or Walsh. Asked to respond to Feldman’s claim that she was too drunk to recall the incident, Miner said: “That’s probably an accurate statement.”

Feldman said she’d never met Walsh.

“I don’t know who this man is,” she said today. “I just found out his name in the paper last night.”

Walsh wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Carroll, Feldman’s hometown, is about 60 miles northwest of Linden, where Walsh lives.

Feldman, who describes herself as a light drinker, drank wine at the home of family friends before the football game.

She said she doesn’t remember how much she drank, but the party’s hosts refilled her glass each time it was low “so I’m sure I drank a lot.”

Feldman said her husband later told her he’d tried to talk her out of the game because she was intoxicated.

“He said I didn’t realize it was that bad,” she said.

Feldman said her husband accompanied her to the game, but their friends stayed home.

She said she remembers sitting in the stands one moment and the next “being slammed around by a cop and screaming.”

“Apparently I was panicked and very uncooperative,” she said.

Feldman said she “ran away” from her husband the Metrodome after the incident.

She said a woman she didn’t know offered her a ride home about 11 p.m.

Feldman said she gave her husband’s cell phone number to the woman, who called Kelly Feldman for directions to the couple’s hotel.

Lois Feldman said her attorney has encouraged her to fight the ticket.

“He feels I was taken advantage of in my state of mind,” she said. “This is not me. We’re a very good family. This shouldn’t happen.”

Miner, the campus police officer, said fighting the indecent conduct charge could be a long shot.

“It’s spelled out in the law in Minnesota that intoxication is not a defense to any crime,” he said.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

This week's SEC Championship Game between the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide will mark the sixth time these two teams have played for the conference crown since the inception of the title game in 1992...

Monday, December 01, 2008

Notre Dame must relieve Charlie Weis from his duties as head football coach of the Fighting Irish...

Speculation around the country is that Weis will survive the ax because it will cost the university a hefty sum of money in order to buyout his remaining years...however, there is also talk the buyout is not as much as many expect...

Weis looked like the savior of the greatest college football program in the land...during his rookie season, he guided the Irish to a 9-3 mark then followed up with a 10-3 record...after his first year, Notre Dame ripped up his contract and gave Weis a new 10-year deal to keep him in charge of the Golden Dome...

Everything seemed like a BCS title game would soon be within the Irish's reach...then quarterback Brady Quinn left...since losing Quinn, Weis has produced a miserable record of 3-9 last year and 6-6 this season...of the six wins, only one came against a team with a winning record - Navy...

Weis has had four years to prove his worth and he has shown that he cannot take the Irish to the next level...during these four years, Notre Dame's biggest rival, Southern Cal, creamed the Irish three of the four years including Saturday's 38-3 beatdown in which the Irish did not get a first down until the end of the third quarter...

Personally, a part of me wanted to see Weis succeed at Notre Dame because the guy was not some former football player who had connections to get into the coaching business...this guy never played college football!!!...he was just like the rest of us average Joes who busted his ass in order to climb the football coaching ladder...and for that, I admire him...

But the fit is not there in South Bend...even though Notre Dame is his alma mater, Weis has not embraced the alumni and university personnel...there is talk about his arrogance and rudeness...

However, that should not be the reason Notre Dame fire Weis...heck, some of the greatest coaches were arrogant jerks, such as Paul Brown and Adolph Rupp...if Weis was winning football games, the alumni would think it was great because "Charlie is his own man and does not kiss people's asses"...

Notre Dame should fire Weis for not advancing the football program to the elite level even though he has had some of the best recruiting classes over the last few years...

For instance, sophomore quarterback Jimmy Clausen has shown very little improvement over the last two years...under Weis' guidance, by now, Clausen should have shown marked improvement...that has not happened...

Right now, Notre Dame is a pathetic football program that is living off its prestige of 20 plus years ago...golden helmets, pep rallies, green jerseys, and Touchdown Jesus can only take a program so far...ultimately, on the field, Notre Dame is an overmatched team when it comes to competing against other teams for a 60 minute contest...

Losing to Syracuse and barely beating San Diego State is not acceptable for the Notre Dame football program...when Weis accepted this job, he also accepted the pressure and scrutiny that comes with the glory and generous salary of being the head football coach at Notre Dame...

And after four seasons, Weis has not lived up to his billing...there are standards at Notre Dame, and those standards are far from being met...he is paid to 1) win football games; 2) compete for the national title on a regular basis; and 3) uphold a reasonable standard for the football program...Weis has not met the first two criteria...

Friday, November 28, 2008

Today the annual Egg Bowl takes place between Mississippi State and Ole Miss...below is the history behind the Egg Bowl and the Golden Egg Trophy... (Golden Egg Trophy, photo, right)

Up until 1926, Ole Miss had claimed only five wins in the previous twenty-three meetings of the teams. When Ole Miss beat what was then known as Mississippi A&M College 7 to 6, the Ole Miss fans were celebratory, rushing the field, some trying to tear the goalposts down. A&M fans did not take well to the Ole Miss fans celebrations, and fights broke out all over the field between the schools' fans. Some A&M fans defended the goal posts with wooden chairs, and several injuries were reported. Ole Miss and A&M students vowed then that such an incident should not happen again.

The result was the "Golden Egg", a trophy to cool the heat of battle - the trophy, not the goalposts, would be the winners' reward. The name derives from a large trophy which has been awarded to the winning team each year since 1927. The trophy consists of a large football-shaped brass piece mounted to a wooden base and traditionally symbolizes supremacy in college football in the state of Mississippi for the year. The footballs used in American football in the 1920s were considerably more ovoid and blunter than those in use today and similar to the balls still used in rugby; the shape of the football on the trophy naturally depicts a football from the era when the trophy was first awarded. The trophy thus, to modern eyes, more resembles an egg than a football. The awarding of the "Golden Egg" was instituted in 1927 by joint agreement between the two schools student bodies.[3]

For many years this game was played at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, which seats approximately 62,000 spectators. There were several reasons behind this. Besides being centrally located in the state, at the time it was the only venue in the state capable of seating the anticipated crowd; for many years Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford seated only about 32,000 and Scott Field in Starkville seated only about 31,000.

Both have been considerably expanded and are now capable of accommodating the crowds which can realistically be expected, and both on-campus venues have been continually upgraded to the point where they are actually superior in amenities to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, so the decision was made to move the game into a home-and-home series in the 1990s. It was decided that the on-campus atmosphere is generally better; the game is now more useful for both schools as a recruiting tool, and this has the additional advantage of only requiring the bulk of one team's core fan base to make a road trip rather than both of them as was previously the case.

The 2:12 clip below is of the 2007 Egg Bowl in which Mississippi State won 17-14 on the last play...check out Mississippi State head coach Sly Croom running with the MSU flag after the game...

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Back in the days of Jackie Sherrill, this was a rivalry game that Texas A&M usually won...but times have changed...the Aggies no longer build the annual bonfire, on campus, after the tragedy that took place about ten years ago...this year, this is a game the Longhorns must win - and win impressively...

Texas A&M @ TexasKirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman writes about the demise of the Texas A&M football program... "Is Texas A&M the new Baylor? Was hiring Mike Sherman a mistake? How long will it take the Aggies to make up ground?" ...

Suzanne Haliburton of the Austin American-Statesman writes about Texas DE Brian Orakpo and his last game at Texas... "There's an argument to be made that Orakpo — the fifth-year senior playing in his final game at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Thursday — is representative of the surging Longhorns, who are making an unexpected national title run." ...

Here is how the annual Bonfire is done without the university's support...Despite the university's refusal to allow Bonfire to take place on campus, a non-university sanctioned bonfire took its place. The first unofficial Bonfire since the 1930s was held in 2002 and was known as the "Unity Project." This fire consisted of three piles of wood, with the center stack being 35 feet (11 m) high.

In 2003, the event became known as Student Bonfire. In a design approved by a professional engineer, Student Bonfire uses a wedding cake design, but, in a departure from tradition, every log in the stack touches the ground. For added support, four 24 feet (7.3 m) poles are spaced evenly around the stack and then bolted to the 45 feet (14 m) center pole with a steel pipe. These poles are known as Windle-sticks, after Levi Windle, a staunch supporter of Student Bonfire who died in an unrelated accident in 2003. Since the group does not receive funding, Student Bonfire charges a fee to each attendee to cover expenses. Attendance for Student Bonfire ranges from 8,000–15,000 people and the event is held in Brazos County or one of the surrounding counties.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Disgust...that is what I feel after Michigan's embarrassing performance on Saturday in Columbus against Ohio State...I was in attendance for the first game of the season when the Wolverines took on Utah...and I was there Saturday for Michigan's annual beating administered by the Buckeyes...over those 13 weeks, I saw no improvement with Michigan...

Zero...zilch...nada...

Michigan lacked the basic fundamentals of football, such as catching a punt and kick...Rich Rodriguez would state in his weekly press conference how the team is making progress in practice...but somehow that progress did not transfer to the field on Saturdays...

To think Michigan would ever finish with a 3-9 season would be unfathomable...but it is now part of our history...the 2009 football season will be the most crucial in the history of Michigan football...another poor season and a loss to Ohio State could set back the football program for years...Rodriguez MUST go at least 8-4 and beat Ohio State next season...if he cannot accomplish those two attainable goals, then the Michigan administration must swallow its pride, admit it made a mistake with Rodriguez, and move quickly to replace him as head coach...Michigan cannot sit back idly and wait as Nebraska did with former head coach Bill Callahan...

Over the last two years it is not acceptable to be losing at home to Appalachian State, Toledo, and Northwestern...it is not acceptable to lose seven of the last eight years to Ohio State...this current losing era to Ohio State is worse than when John Cooper was losing to Michigan...Cooper never lost five games in a row to Michigan...

All the blame should not be place on Rodriguez...former head coach Lloyd Carr is just as responsible for this downward spiral of Michigan football...his lack of preparation caused Michigan to lose to Appalachian State...and his lackadaisical approach to Ohio State allowed Jim Tressel to beat Carr in their match-ups...if Carr would have approached the OSU game with more emphasis, Michigan could have won at least two of their games against Tressel...over the last eight years, Tressel's aggressive approach to outrecruiting and outhustling Michigan has showed when the two teams meet...

Michigan is resting on his proud history...sure it is the winningest football program, but many of those records were set prior to World War I and II...in the BCS era, Michigan has been nothing but an above average football program who cannot win the big games...

Here are the following teams who have competed in the BCS title game since its inception during the 1998 season:Three timesOhio State, Florida State, OklahomaTwo timesLSU, USC, Miami (Fla)One timeTennessee, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Texas, Florida

Most of the traditional big-time football programs have competed in the title game except for Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State, and MICHIGAN...Michigan needs to stop resting on its history from a century ago and start making a difference in today's era of ollege football...

Former Ohio State players and ESPN personalities Chris Spielman and Kirk Herbstreit had some pretty scathing analysis of Michigan as they prepare to finish their season against the Buckeyes.

On their afternoon radio show on WBNS-AM (1460) in Columbus on Monday, Spielman, a former Detroit Lions linebacker, was especially critical of the Wolverines' performance this season.

"They're a team that plays hard, they just have nothing going," said Spielman.

"They stink, they're not very good. They don't play offense... they can't run it consistently, they can't throw it consistently, they can't stop the run, they're not very good defending the pass, they're not very good covering kicks, they're not very good returning kicks," Spielman said.

Herbstreit said he thinks U-M, missing out on a bowl game for the first time in 33 years, has the mindset of playing out the string.

"I think they're just looking forward to getting the season over and hitting the recruiting," Herbstreit said.

Herbstreit said wishes the Wolverines weren't having such a bad season so that there would be some more preceived drama in this rivalry game.

"I know, it's still Ohio State-Michigan, and when the teams run out on the field, it's still special. But, it's, like, anticlimatic," he said. "Who are you booing? They're 3-8. If they didn't have to be there, they wouldn't be there.... But if they were 9-2, or there was a championship on the line, that's what this game's all about."

Spielman isn't as sympathetic towards the Wolverines.

"I love seeing them beaten down, man. It's great," Spielman said.

First off, who the fuck is Kirk Herbstreit?...he should know about losing in this game because Michigan kicked his ass (see video below) when he was the starting quarterback of the Buckeyes...the comment that burns my ass the most is when pretty boy stated, "But, it's, like, anticlimatic, Who are you booing? They're 3-8. If they didn't have to be there, they wouldn't be there."...

Michigan NEVER backs down from a battle...FUCK YOU KIRK HERBSTREIT!!!

As far as Spielman goes, he is a freakin asshole...ESPN should never have him work another Michigan game because he is biased...

- I can't wait for the day when Chad Johnson retires...I am so sick of this Ocho Nutto shit...this guy is the biggest douche bag in the NFL...the screw-up broke a team violation on Wednesday and gets deactivated for Thursday's game...when will the Cincinnati Bengals management realize Johnson is a cancer on this team and needs to go...it's not like the Bengals are winning Super Bowls with him...

- Dustin Pedroia was the American League MVP?...20 years from now people will look back on this and scratch their head...

- I hate the Minnesota Vikings uniforms...I wish they would go back to the old-school purple jerseys...

Thursday, November 20, 2008

This past weekend the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals played to a 13-13 tie...after the game, Eagles QB Donovan McNabb expressed surprise that a NFL regular season game could end in a tie...he thought the two teams would play until there is a winner...here is his quote:

"I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book ... It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie."

"I guess we're aware of it now ... In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the pro ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and in the playoffs."

Remember, McNabb is a 10-year veteran of the NFL and was active when the last tie occurred six years ago...football people were amazed that an NFL starting quarterback, like McNabb, would not know that a regular season game could end in a tie...

During the Monday Night pre-game on ESPN, this topic was discussed...football analyst Tom Jackson was stunned about McNabb's ignorance of this common rule...however, Jackson began by stating that people have called McNabb names such as "cement head"...Jackson alluded to the fact that these people are making racist comments about McNabb's intelligence...Jackson was correct in nailing McNabb about not knowing the rules, but Jackson was wrong about the "cement head" comment...

Let's face the facts, McNabb was a cement head, bonehead, lunk head, or whatever you want to call it, for not knowing this common football rule...this has nothing to do with his race and everything to do with being a so-called "elite" NFL quarterback...any starting quarterback in the NFL who does not know the basic rules involving overtime is a lunkhead whether he is white, African-American, Hispanic, etc...that quarterback deserves to be criticized...

Imagine if a white quarterback, say Tony Romo, made the same comment about not knowing the overtime rules...every media person would be ripping Romo for being dumb and ignorant - and rightfully so...back in his playing days former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was viewed as this country boy who did not have a lot of smarts...if he made this comment, he would have been called "dumb" and probably something even worse...prior to a Super Bowl, former Dallas linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson said that Bradshaw was so dumb that he could not spell the word "cat" even if you spotted him the "C" and "A"...

So why is there a double standard?...I guess it is okay to call a white NFL quarterback dumb or ignorant, but the same cannot be said about an African-American NFL quarterback -- even when he clearly shows his ignorance of a common NFL rule...

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Zach at The Big Picture is famous throughout the sports blogosphere with his "Who Would You Do" Tournaments...after holding four 16-women tourneys, he has the "Ultimate Who Would You Do" Tourney in which the final four from each previous tourney face-off...

In one semi-final is #1 Erin Andrews vs. #4 Meghan Vasconcellos...the voting continues today and as of this morning, only 2 votes are the difference...so please, be an American and VOTE - every vote does make a difference in this epic battle...

I have supported Rich Rodriguez from day one...I still support Rodriguez, however, I am a little disappointed about his recent comments...it is clear frustration has set in...reported by the Associated Press, Rodriguez said:"It's amazing some of the things that people would say [on a message board] or yell at you of a personal nature," Rodriguez said Monday. "You almost want to tell them, 'Get a life.'

"There's a whole lot bigger problems. Look at the economy."...

Look at the economy???...WHAT!?!?!?!?!...this is my message to Rodriguez...

First off, it is wrong to berate you in front of your family...your family has nothing to do with how Michigan is playing...these jerks who call themselves Michigan fans are wrong...

Yes Rich, we all know there are bigger problems in the world...but cheering for your favorite sports team is one way to forget about these everyday problems...watching Michigan football this season has not been fun...and let me tell you, being a Michigan fan who lives in Ohio has been hell the past 7 years...

I know you are putting in a new system and understand that it will take time...I was not expecting a 9-3 year...but 3-8????...losing to stinking Toledo?!?!?!?!...let's be honest, the team did not get better as the season progressed...after last week's debacle against Northwestern it looks like the same team who played against Utah in Week 1...

Plain and simple - this season has been garbage!!!...

I will be in Ohio Stadium on Saturday wearing my Maize and Blue and getting abused by every Ohio State fan...in fact, you will be safer than me because I will have to put up with every drunken Buckeye goon as I walk to and from my car...and if you cannot pull the upset, I will have to go another 365 days in hearing about how great Ohio State is compared to Michigan...

I am a Michigan Man through and through therefore I will be cheering you on until the bitter end on Saturday...I have had friends tell me that I shouldn't go to the game let alone wear my Michigan jacket and hat...I am proud to be a Michigan fan and willing to put up with the crap from our arch-rival...so I feel I deserve a better response than "Look at the economy"....

That type of comment may fly in Morgantown, but you are now in Ann Arbor...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Interesting Fact - Conventional wisdom states whoever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game...that has not been the case the last two years...Michigan has not committed a turnover in the last two games against Ohio State while the Buckeyes have committed 4 turnovers...

This will be Jim Tressel's eighth game against Michigan as head coach of Ohio State...as is widely known, Gentleman Jim is 6-1 against the Wolverines...believe me, I know a win is a win, and the point of this post is not to slam any of his 6 wins...the point of this post is to show how close Michigan came in those games...a turnover here and a play there and Jimmy Boy could be 4-3...let's take a look at these games (the ranking and record is what each team was coming into the game)...

2001 - Ohio State 26-20 - Ann Arbor#11 Michigan (8-2) vs. NR Ohio State (6-4) - Michigan took Tressel lightly...this was Lloyd Carr's fault...I later read in The Wolverine that some of the Michigan players thought they would easily handle this former I-AA coach...Ohio State jumped out to a 23-0 lead at halftime...after getting knocked on their asses, the Wolverines played better in the second half but fell just short of making a complete comeback...I could still see the play when Marquise Walker dropped a sure touchdown....

2002 - Ohio State 14-9- Columbus#2 Ohio State (11-0) vs. #11 Michigan (9-2) - Ohio State was perfect and one win from the Fiesta Bowl against The U...Ohio State had freshman sensation Maurice Clarett at running back...this was Michigan's game...three times they drove deep into Ohio State territory but ended up settling for field goals...the Michigan defense shutdown Clarett and the Buckeyes until the last drive...even with about a minute left on the clock, QB John Navarre drove Michigan to the Ohio State 19-yard-line with one second left...Michigan still had a chance to win, but Navarre's pass to Braylon Edwards in the endzone was intercepted...once again, Gentleman Jim escapes...

2003 - Michigan 35-21 - Ann Arbor#4 Michigan (9-2) vs. #6 Ohio State (10-1) - This was the 100th meeting and Michigan dominated from the beginning...Ohio State made a push late in the third quarter, but Michigan maintained their poise as RB Chris Perry scorched the Ohio State defense for 154 yards and Braylon Edwards caught 2 TD passes...

2004 - Ohio State 37-21 - Columbus#7 Michigan (8-2) vs. NR Ohio State (6-4) - This was Tressel's only dismal year at Ohio State...just one week earlier the Buckeyes lost at Purdue and were staring at a sure loss to the Wolverines...Michigan's young team led by freshman QB Chad Henne and RB Mike Hart already sewed up a trip to the Rose Bowl prior to the game...their freshman inexperience showed...Michigan held a 14-7 lead after the first quarter...it was all downhill thereafter as Troy Smith shredded Michigan...Ohio State dominated as they made the Wolverines look slow and out-of-shape...

2005 - Ohio State 25-21 - Ann Arbor#9 Ohio State (8-2) vs. #17 Michigan (7-3) - This may have been the most bitter loss...Michigan led 21-12 with 7:45 to go...a loss would have sent Ohio State to the Capital One Bowl...victory seemed so close for Michigan...once again Jim Hermann's defense could not finish as Troy Smith made every crucial big play over those last 8 minutes...Antonio Pittman scored the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left...the Buckeyes headed to the Fiesta Bowl to take on Notre Dame...

2006 - Ohio State 42-39 - Columbus#1 Ohio State (11-0) vs. #2 Michigan (11-0) - Bo Schembechler died the day before...it was a perfect storm...but once again the Michigan defense could not stop Ohio State...Michigan's offense poured through the Buckeye defense as Mike Hart was a beast in running the ball...but the Michigan defense could not make a third down stop throughout the game...in the end, Ohio State always stayed one step ahead of Michigan...

2007 - Ohio State 14-3 - Ann Arbor#7 Ohio State (10-1) vs. #21 Michigan (8-3) - Henne and Hart stayed for their senior year just for this game...they were 0-3 against Ohio State...coming into the game, Henne was nursing a separated shoulder and Hart was still not 100% from a high ankle sprain...Chris Wells scored the second of his 2 touchdowns on the second play of the 3rd quarter to put Ohio State up 14-3 in the steady November drizzle...Mario Manningham did not help as he dropped two crucial passes when Michigan started to get a bit of momentum...knowing that Hart and Henne were not 100%, Tressel went conservative and ran the ball the rest of the game to kill the clock...

Monday, November 17, 2008

Michigan CampChris Lau of the Detroit Free Press writes how this week's game is Michigan's bowl... "The players already knew they won't play in a bowl game for the first time in 34 seasons. And they had just lost their eighth game of 2008, most in a season in program history. But they have one more game this year, against archrival Ohio State, which has beaten U-M (3-8, 2-5 Big Ten) six of the past seven meetings." ...

John Heuser of the Ann Arbor News writes how Michigan still does not have a #1 QB heading into the Ohio State game... "In his second straight start, Nick Sheridan bore no resemblance to the poised passer who led Michigan to victory last week at Minnesota. He completed 8 of 29 passes for 61 yards and was pulled in favor of Steven Threet." ...

Ohio State Camp Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch writes how one big win against your rival can make a bad team a bit better... "OSU coach Jim Tressel is 6-1 against his arch rivals, and the Buckeyes have won four straight. Ohio State (9-2, 6-1 Big Ten) has never won five in a row in the series. With all the motivation on the Buckeyes' side, that would seem to make the outcome a no-brainer." ...

Doug Lesmerises of the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer writes how this year's Rose Bowl will feature the Big 10 and PAC 10 champs... "If Penn State loses to Michigan State and Oregon State loses to someone, the Buckeyes and Trojans would wind up meeting three times in a year. They would sandwich a Rose Bowl between their home-and-home series, with USC coming to Columbus on Sept. 12, 2009." ...

Friday, November 14, 2008

ESPN's Chris Fowler gives his thoughts about the red-hot Florida Gators... "Meyer can see the prize (or prizes) ahead. He knows his Gators are peaking. They have achieved a rare chemistry that he said "borders on phenomenal." ...

- Over the last 3 years, in games in weeks 10-13, Dallas is 6-1 against the spread and 8-0 straight up- Over the last 3 years, in games in weeks 10-13, Washington is 2-5 against the spread and 1-7 straight up

Dallas Cowboys (5-4) - Head Coach Wade PhillipsTim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News writes about Marion Barber's woes against the Skins... "Marion Barber has averaged 3.3 yards per carry against the Redskins during his career. He has 63 yards on 29 carries (2.2 ypc) against Washington with Garrett calling the plays." ...

Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News writes about the Cowboys underachieving season... "This team has dramatically underachieved, however, even with the injuries. At some point it has to be held accountable. But by whom? Phillips?" ...

Washington Redskins (6-3) - Head Coach Jim ZornDan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog writes how Fred Smoot is encouragining kids to hate the Cowboys... ""This week we come back and play the Cowboys, so you know what time it is," Smoot told the elementary schoolers. "I'm gonna teach y'all at a young age to hate the Cowboys." ...

Matt Mosley of ESPN Blog Network writes how former Skins coach Joe Gibbs is cheering them on... "Gibbs said he's thoroughly enjoyed seeing his former players have success under Jim Zorn, but he thought it was important to distance himself from the organization for a while." ...